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          The Legacy of Thomas and Ella Rush McFadden

Thomas McFadden who was known as “Pa” was born in Clarendon County of South Carolina. Since official birth records weren't kept during the 1800’s the actual birth date is unknown. According to his death certificate, which was obtained from the vital statistics office in Columbia, South Carolina, Pa died on August 20, 1952, at the age of 61. The cause of death was cerebral hemorrhage due to arteriosclerosis.

Pa was buried on August, 24 1952 in the Old McFadden Cemetery of Lake City, South Carolina. The funeral services were provided by Green’s Funeral Home. According to the information on Pa’s gravestone, he was born in 1887 and died in 1950. Again, there were no official birth records kept during the time Pa was born and when information was rescored it was sometimes inaccurate. 

Pa was a son of the LATE Tom and Rosanna McFadden. He had six brothers: Jenkin, Harvin, Robert, John David, Levi, Britt, three sisters Suzanne, Mary, and Daisy. They all grew up in the Clarendon area of South Carolina. Pa his parents and siblings spent most of their lives struggling to survive the hardships they were faced with during a time that we can’t and should never forget. It was close to a period in history where many of our ancestors were confronted with slavery and the hardships that it brought about, but through it all they survived with dignity.  

Ella Rush McFadden was known by family members as “Ma’. She was born in the Clarendon County area of South Carolina. Ma’s birth’s date is also unknown, but according to her death certificate, she died on December 25, 1951, at age 50. The cause of her death was acute congestive heart failure due to hypertension cardiovascular disease. 
Ma was buried on December 30, 1951, in the Old McFadden Cemetery of Lake City South Carolina. The Funeral services were provided by Green Funeral Services. Ma’s gravesite headstone indicates that she was born in 1888 and died in 1951. Again, birth records weren’t kept during the period she was born. 
Ma was the daughter of the late Chester and Tena Rush. She had six brothers; Robert, Moses, William, Ceil, Samuel, and Hayward. She also had eight sisters: Pasty, Bessie, Rose, Lula, Dinah, Mary, Ressie, and Ida. 

Pa and Ma lived with their children on the Haskell McFadden farm for several years. Later they moved and became tenants of Dr. C.D. Smith. This is where all their hard labor and struggle to become self-sufficient took place. Pa and Ma worked hard to provide for their children. 
Pa and Ma were blessed with six sons: Wardell, Thomas, Arthur, Lawrence, Abraham, and Cal. Four daughters; Bessie, Jannie, Zelma, and Pearline. Pa and Ma’s faith in God and their determination to provide a productive life for their children led them to become survivors during a time when things were not easy. Through all their hardships and misfortunes, they maintain their focus and stayed strong for their children. 

Looking at our history and focusing on the era of slavery, it can be said with a great amount of certainty that Pa and Ma’s parents were both slaves. History led us to believe that Haskell McFadden or some member of that family-owned Pa’s parents. This is probably how we received our last name McFadden. We should always be proud of our last name yet never forget how that last name came about. 

The offspring of Tom and Ella Rush McFadden has a rich heritage that needs to be preserved. It is only through our coming together as a family that we can bond and show our love and appreciation for them. Just to know that God has blessed us with parents that stayed strong and made it possible for us. This should encourage us to always strive to maintain our family reunion and keep the memories of our fore-parents alive in our hearts. It is truly a blessing and we should feel honored to say that our fore-parents gave us something that we can cherish forever “a Family”.